True Love’s Kiss
by Moonlite Knight
Summary: Guess what’s the only thing that can wake Artemis when he falls into a magical coma after getting a paper cut from a cursed book. Guess who has to carry out that cure. Guess who’s laughing his horsey butt off. HxA


_**Timeline: Before TTP, actually this completely ignores TTP. Why? I just want this to happen before the events in TTP take place. **_

_**Points to Note: Some fluff and possible oocnes on Holly's part. Seriously it was **_**hard**_** writing from her POV for some reason. **_

_Disclimer: Arty and co. belongs to Eoin Colfer and Sleeping Beauty belongs to the Grimm Bro. and, well, Disney too I suppose. Either way, not mine. _

**True Love's Kiss**

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Holly groaned into her com as Artemis Fowl the Second slumbered on in his magic induced sleep on the floor a few feet away. "_Please_, tell me this is one of your inappropriate jokes Foaly."

"Sorry," the centaur's voice said, really not sounding apologetic at all. If anything, he sounded amused. Yeah, he would.

He wasn't the one in the room with a stupid genius that had stupidly set off the curse on the artifact that they were 'recovering' from a Mudmen museum. He wasn't the one who had had to panic for several minutes when the boy collapsed and looked dead. And _he_ wasn't the one who had to…

"There isn't any other way to break the curse," Foaly continued, false sympathy coloring his voice. "I've checked all my notes, books, and even the Old Tales. There's no other cure."

Holly's shoulders slumped. "Check again."

"Already have." The centaur replied, indignant at the implication that he might have made a mistake. He never made a mistake, Holly should know that by now. "Five times, before you ask. Sorry Holly, but that's the only cure. The Mudmen's fairy tales do hold some truth you know."

A small, microscopic amount of truth. Seriously, most of the modern tales made him wince, cringe, or pale, though not necessarily in that order. What had happened to all the gore and destruction that once made up the backbone of Mudmen tales?

"Then hurry up and get one of the Mudboy's lady friends down here," Holly ordered, turning back to the unconscious genius. He hadn't moved an inch since the last time she checked. Was that bad?

Foaly made a strange sound that could have been either a laugh or a cough. "Er—his lady friends. Well, that'd be a good plan. If he had any."

Holly scowled. "I don't care, just get someone else down here and have them deal with the Mudboy."

"Anyone?"

Holly changed her mind. "Never mind."

"So, you'll do it?"

She really didn't like that smugness in her friend's tone. And was that a hint triumph she was hearing? "I haven't agreed to anything."

"That's good to hear," Foaly continued as though he hadn't heard a word she had said. "Because there's a time limit you know."

"What?" Her eyes flickered back to the fallen genius. A time limit? He hadn't said anything about that before.

"Did I forget to mention that?" The paranoid said in false astonishment. "Silly me. Artemis has to wake up within an hour of the curse being activated, else he'll be going nighty-night for a full hundred years. I personally don't care, but just how pleased do you think he'll be when he finally wakes? Might actually go through with the whole 'taking over the world' thing then."

Holly really didn't like how…_convenient_ the fact that there was a time limit was. She was also not too fond at how much Foaly seemed to be enjoying the whole situation.

"You have about fifteen minutes left," Foally piped up in her ear, oh so helpfully. "You better get a move on, unless you want to be the one explaining to Artemis why he's a hundred and sixteen."

"Why don't you get over here and do it," She snapped at him. "Give me some time to come up with a plan Foaly."

"What kind of plan do you need?" The centaur asked incredulously. "The entire solution is just under your nose!"

Holly cut the link at that. She was _not_ in the mood to deal with Foaly and his wisecracks right now.

She glanced at the comatose teen on the floor. D'arvit, what should she do? She really did not want to be the one to have to carry out the cure. She wished that Butler were here instead of keeping the guards busy. No scratch that, this was awkward enough even without an audience, and having someone who'd known Artemis since he was just evil in diapers would not help at all.

Maybe she was over thinking this, she decided walking over to where the boy lay sleeping. After all, it was only a kiss. Nothing to get this worked up over. Just a quick peck on the lips and they could both move on with their lives. End of story.

She sighed. Best get it over with as soon as possible. No sense in drawing out the inevitable. Plus, she was pretty sure she only had five minutes left now.

Hesitantly, Holly kneeled on the floor, next to the still body of the genius. He had better appreciate what she was doing for him. Really appreciate it, because she was going to kill him for prickling his finger on that stupid book in the first place. She lowered her head until her face was hovering just a foot above the sleeping teen. Before she had the chance to lose her nerve, she quickly closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to the boy's.

Nothing happened.

Holly was stuck in a very awkward position with her lips on her friend's and her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Oh, she was going to _kill_ Foaly. She was going to roast that, that _donkey_, and then feed his remains to _trolls_. And then she was going to kill herself for being _stupid_ enough to believe a _kiss _would wake up Artemis.

Abruptly, the lips under hers twitched. It was only a small bit of movement, but to Holly who was already excessively aware of point of contact between them, it was enough to send her jerking back.

One hand involuntarily flew to her face, covering her lips, which were, for some strange reason, tingling. D'arvit, her face felt so hot. Was she blushing? D'arvit, d'arvit, _d'arvit_.

Artemis slowly blinked his eyes, a look of confusion pasted on his face. He turned his head towards her, and blinked again. Holly doubled her efforts to get rid of her dratted blush.

"Holly," he started, in a voice that was much too calm to not be faked. "Did you just…"

His voice trailed off as a faint pink blush appeared on his face.

The fairy ignored the question. "About time you woke up." She said, her voice a bit muffled as her hand was still covering her mouth. She turned her face away and stood up. "Couldn't you have waited until we were out of here to take a nap? Now hurry up, we've wasted enough time as it is."

She headed for the book that had started this whole mess before Artemis had a chance to protest. She could hear him getting up, and muttering about the fact that he was lying on the "filthy, who knows when the last time it was cleaned" floor. Fully intending to ignore him, she picked up the book from the floor where it had been lying abandoned since the entire thing being.

"You did." Artemis said suddenly, dispelling the not entirely comfortable silence.

Holly glanced at him with the corner of her eye. "I did what?"

"You kissed me."

She began scheming of ways to trick Artemis into getting a mind wipe. Or, better yet, of how to go about getting one herself. "You sure you didn't hit your head while you were sleeping?"

"I remember that much," Artemis interrupted, coolly dusting off his sleeve. "I am not quite sure why I was on the floor, but I clearly recall being kissed. And as you are the only person in the room…"

"You assume that I'm that desperate to kiss you," Holly said, before realizing just how she sounded. She quickly added, "You were cursed, and that was the only way to wake you up. Take your complaints to Foaly, he was the one who suggested it."

"I see," Artemis said, much too smugly for Holly's tastes. "Like in the fairy tales? Sleeping Beauty awakened by her prince's kiss?"

"I wouldn't be too smug if I were you," Holly said, extremely grateful that the dark lighting and her skin tone kept her blush from being too visible. "According to your fairy tales, I'm the prince."

A decidedly horrified look settled on Artemis's face at that. "Do you mean to say I am Sleeping Beauty?"

Holly smirked. Finally, she wasn't the only one being humiliated by all this. "If the slipper fits."

"Wrong tale," The genius replied, clearly irritated by the direction the conversation was taking. "Unless you're implying that I'm Cinderella as well?"

"I didn't say that," Holly said. It was her turn to be smug. "You did."

"I am not a princess," Artemis informed her as she headed towards the door. "Nor am I a damsel in distress."

"Of course you're not," She said in a way that clearly indicated that she was humoring him. "It's not as if I ever had to save your life or anything before."

And she shut the door before he had a chance to reply, satisfied that she had won.

~Meanwhile~

Foaly gleefully watched the fight/love scene on his computer, immensely glad he had had the foresight to press record. He wondered just how they'd react once he told that the true cure of the curse was not just any kiss, but _true_ love's kiss. He'd have to make sure he had a camera on him when he did though.

**And they lived happily ever after…more or less. **

_**I love the image of Arty as Sleeping Beauty and Holly as the Prince(ss) ^^ Blame Disney if you must. Hehe, Arty in a dress XD **_

_**EDIT: I HAZ FANART! Check profile for link if interested X3  
**_

_**Review please?**_


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